Potentialities of XRF and EIS portable instruments for the characterisation of ancient artefacts

Non-destructive testing methods are very important tools for conservators and art historians to obtain valuable information about works of art without causing any or even local damage to them. Two successful case studies showing the noticeable potentialities of two analytical portable instruments employed in the characterisation of tangible cultural heritage are shown. The first example concerns the chemical characterisation via an X-ray fluorescence (XRF) portable instrument of the red decorative pigment and of the stone surface of the Capestrano Warrior (Archaeological Museum of Chieti, Italy), which is considered the most important Italic stone statue found in Italy. The second concerns the use of a portable electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) measurement system for the characterisation of the protective effectiveness of the paints on the railing of Palazzo Reale in Torino, Italy.